NRA Reaps Profits From the Internet Ammo Sales It Made Possible

Alleged Aurora mass shooter James Holmes' ability to reportedly purchase more than six thousand rounds of ammunition online without any record-keeping is the direct result of Congressional passage of the National Rifle Association's flagship bill of the 1980s: the Firearms Owners' Protection Act.

Commonly known as "McClure-Volkmer" for its Senate and House sponsors -- Senator James McClure and Representative (and long-time NRA board member) Harold Volkmer (both now deceased) -- the bill was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

Prior to passage of McClure-Volkmer, interstate ammunition sales by common carrier to private individuals were banned and records were maintained of ammunition sales. McClure-Volkmer ended these limited controls -- and opened up a new financial funding stream for the NRA.

Today the NRA receives millions of dollars from online sales of ammunition, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and other accessories through the Round-Up Program, created by top NRA benefactor Larry Potterfield. Potterfield is founder and head of MidwayUSA, which claims to stock "ust about everything for shooting, reloading, gunsmithing and hunting," including ammunition and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The Round-Up Program encourages buyers to "round-up" their purchase to the nearest dollar with the difference going to the NRA.

It's not MidwayUSA/Potterfield's money that is donated, it's the person making the order electing to do so. During the checkout process, MidwayUSA just asks "Hey, do you want to round up to the nearest $1, $2, $5 or $10 dollars?" And technically, the donation is to the NRA-ILA, not to the plain old NRA.

I think Walmart, Amazon, ebay/paypal and other large online retailers should do the same thing for recent tragedy/disaster relief. I'll bet in just a few short weeks, millions could be raised for the families of the recent school shooting.